Humvees could get V-shaped hulls

[unhappycamper]

Humvees attached to Combined Anti-Armor Team 2, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment sit outside the CAAT 2 patrol base in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 28. Commandant Gen. James Conway says the Marine Corps is blast-testing a v-hull Humvee prototype to see how it compares with the JLTV.


Humvees could get V-shaped hulls
By Amy McCullough - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Dec 27, 2009 8:40:41 EST

The Corps wants to install V-shaped hulls on some of its up-armored Humvees. The move would offer Marines more protection from improvised explosive device blasts while the defense industry continues to address concerns with the military’s next-generation vehicle, the service’s top officer said.

Commandant Gen. James Conway told reporters Dec. 15 that the Corps is blast-testing one prototype to see how it compares with the still-in-the-works Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which at 22,000 pounds is not light enough to meet the Corp’s needs, he said. His comments came less than a week after Assistant Commandant Gen. James Amos told a House Armed Services subcommittee that Marine officials are “struggling” to find a near-term solution to the JLTV’s weight issues.

The Pentagon considers the JLTV, which the Corps is developing alongside the Army to replace its fleet of Humvees, the centerpiece of the military’s long-term lightweight vehicle needs, with 10 planned variants in three weight classes ranging from an ambulance to an infantry carrier that would shuttle a four-man Marine fire team. The three finalists — BAE Systems/Navistar, Lockheed Martin and General Tactical Vehicles — were awarded contracts in 2008 and are expected to deliver JLTV prototypes to meet Marine and Army specifications by May.

The modified Humvees would only bridge the gap for a few years, Conway said, although he questioned once again whether the Corps even needs the JLTV if it is too heavy for Marine helicopters to carry.

“The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle was dependent upon technology to give us composite or plastic armor or something that would be light and yet serve the same purpose as steel. Well, that just hasn’t happened, and the experts will tell you that it’s still five years out,” he said. “So we are looking at a capability … that would elevate the Humvee so it’s not flat-bottomed and it’s well above the ground.”


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/12/marine_vhull_122709w/